Case Study: Toby Lawton, CFO Thule – Interim Management as a tool for growth and stability
In a global context where organizations constantly have to navigate between rapid growth, acute vacancies, and the development of new areas of expertise, flexible access to senior expertise is becoming critical. We spoke with Toby Lawton, CFO at Thule, about how he has utilized interim solutions throughout his career, including his time as CFO at SCA in Asia.
Interim solutions: An answer to urgent and strategic needs
Toby Lawton has used interim consultants in several different roles and environments, where decisions have often been driven by both unplanned needs and strategic initiatives. Interim solutions are primarily used to quickly fill a vacancy, but Toby emphasizes that they also serve an important strategic function.
“It is common to bring in interim consultants when we are missing someone in a role, for example due to parental leave, sickness, or when someone leaves,” Toby explains. “But it is also a valuable strategic tool. When I started up operations as CFO in Hong Kong and China, we needed competence quickly. When we split the company [SCA], an interim solution was needed to establish a Treasury function and set up the systems from scratch.”
Quickly bringing in the right expertise, particularly when establishing completely new functions or in a new product area, is a decisive factor. Toby believes that the decision to engage interim consultants is not taken lightly, but that the advantages are clear: “It’s not a discussion we take lightly, but speed is a big plus. You bring in a high level of competence that can quickly adapt to the new environment. They rarely require much hand-holding.”
Interim for growth and flexibility
Toby views Interim Management as a fundamental tool in a growth environment, where companies need to quickly scale up their finance function but have uncertainty regarding future competence needs. He confirms that interim solutions are an excellent tool for growth:
“In a growth environment, the need for rapid competence provision is constantly present, while one seldom has full clarity on exactly what skills will be required one or two years into the future. The flexibility offered by an interim solution therefore becomes invaluable; it gives us the opportunity to quickly establish ourselves within a new product area, and if the role’s needs later prove to be long-term, we can always consider recruiting the person permanently.”
For Toby, the choice between interim and permanent employment tends to depend on the nature of the role and the time horizon being addressed. He considers that interim is often the best choice in cases of planned or unplanned absence such as sickness or parental leave, or when the role is to be developed without fundamentally changing its core – for example, when implementing new systems and working methods. He also mentions that a new area like ESG controlling is suitable for an initial interim solution. On the other hand, permanent employment is generally best suited for roles that are defined as long-term and central to ongoing operations.
The market and forward view
With his international experience, Toby sees no significant differences in how Interim Management is used in the Nordics compared to the US, Asia, or other European markets – the need for fast and qualified competence is universal.
Toby also finds that the interim solution is relevant regardless of the economic cycle, which provides important security:
“When the economy is good, everyone is searching for people. When restructuring happens in a bad economy, interim solutions are still relevant. The solution is always current, regardless of whether the market is driven by growth or restructuring.”
Does your finance function need to quickly scale up expertise for growth, implement new systems, or cover an unplanned key vacancy?
Contact us at Interim Search for a discussion on how we can secure your flexibility with immediate access to senior interim solutions.
